Tracking

January 2009

January 31, 2009

The Guardian reports that the United Nations is to halve the food ration to millions of Zimbabweans. This will bring the food aid below the level deemed to be enough to keep an adult alive. This is because the number of people dependent on aid is rising and donations from foreign governments are falling well short of demand.

"The World Food Programme is to cut the core maize ration in February from 10kg to 5kg a month – or just 600 calories a day – for 7 million Zimbabweans, about 70% of the people left in the country. The recommended ration is 12kg a month".

I was planning to give up one meal a day for Lent, which in 2009 is between 25th February and the 11th April and donate the money that I would have spent for food aid but perhaps I should begin now.

January 27, 2009

I last wrote about the peanut butter and Salmonella food recall on 22nd January and almost daily at Food Safety Chat. The New York Times carried an article yesterday on hygiene issues at the peanut butter plant in Georgia in 2006 and 2007. The article states that:

"Inspections of the plant in Blakely, Ga., by the State Agriculture Department found areas of rust that could flake into food, gaps in warehouse doors large enough for rodents to get through, unmarked spray bottles and containers and numerous violations of other practices designed to prevent food contamination". It continues:

"A typical entry from an inspection report, dated Aug. 23, 2007, said: “The food-contact surfaces of re-work kettle in the butter room department were not properly cleaned and sanitized.” Additional entries noted: “The food-contact surfaces of the bulk oil roast transfer belt” in a particular room “were not properly cleaned and sanitized. The food-contact surfaces of pan without wheels in the blanching department were not properly cleaned and sanitized.”

A code violation in the same report observed “clean peanut butter buckets stored uncovered,” while another cited a “wiping cloth” to “cover crack on surge bin.” Tests on samples gathered on the day of that inspection were negative for salmonella".

To read the full article click on the link to the New York Times. The case count is now 501 cases in 43 US States and the outbreak may have contributed to eight deaths.

January 22, 2009

I have been posting nearly daily about the ongoing issues surrounding the Salmonella outbreak associated with peanut butter at Food Safety Chat. There have been three major recalls this year in the US - Salmonella and peanut butter; Melamine and milk; and Salmonella and peppers. This is bound to focus attention on the impact of food safety recalls at a human and a corporate level.

In China two individuals have been found guilty and sentenced for their role in the melamine contamination of milk.

Food really is a global network - none of us are immune to the impact of food contamination anywhere in the world. A sobering thought.